BBA News Release

BBA Mourns the Passing of John J. Curtin, Jr.

Upon learning of the passing of Boston Bar Association and American Bar
Association past President John J. Curtin, Jr of Bingham McCutchen, Boston Bar
Association President Paul T. Dacier issued the following statement:

"Jack was the
ultimate citizen lawyer, both nationally and locally. His legacy is his
impassioned work protecting funding for legal services. Throughout his life and
lengthy career at Bingham McCutchen, Jack combined his formidable experience as
a trial lawyer with a broad range of civic and philanthropic activities to
become a leader and role model in the legal profession."

Curtin was President of the Boston Bar Association (BBA) in
1981, when President Ronald Reagan proposed zero funding for the Legal Services
Corporation. Curtin responded by appealing to his Boston colleagues to join
him in a march on Capitol Hill, organized by the American Bar Association (ABA)
in protest of the cut. Curtin's call to action proved a pivotal moment in
cementing the collaboration between the private bar and legal services -
while helping to restore 75 percent of what President Reagan had proposed
cutting.

Upon returning to Boston, Curtin set to work to find a way to make
up for the 25 percent loss by advocating for state funding of civil legal aid and
expanding pro bono so that members of the private bar could do more to help
those unable to afford a lawyer. The result was the Massachusetts Legal
Assistance Corporation (MLAC).

Curtin went on
to serve as President of the ABA. In 1991, when then
Vice President Dan Quayle went before the ABA to blame lawyers
for hurting America's competitiveness, Curtin's rebuttal was quoted in The New
York Times: "Anybody who believes a better day dawns when lawyers are eliminated
bears the burden of explaining who will take their place."

For his leadership in the federal fight for Legal
Services, his skills as a trial lawyer at Bingham McCutchen and broad ranging
civil and philanthropic activities, Curtin received the BBA's Lifetime
Achievement Award in 2010. Read past President Jack Regan's speech honoring
Curtin here.

A
funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in
Chestnut Hill. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in
Wellesley..

The Boston Bar Association traces its origins to meetings convened by John Adams, who provided pro bono representation to the British soldiers prosecuted for the Boston Massacre and went on to become the nation’s second president. Its mission is to advance the highest standards of excellence for the legal profession, facilitate access to justice, serve the community at large and promote diversity and inclusion.